Re-Imagining History

tanya.sticca@artgallery.wa.gov.au — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 03:42:51 +0000

tanya.sticca@a… Thu 09/07/2020 - 11:42am

21 August 2018

August 11th marked an important day in AGWA history, as the Gallery celebrated the reopening of its Historical Collection; part of the permanent AGWA Collection displays which spans across many time periods in Australian and international art.

Moving from the Centenary Galleries, the historical collection is now located upstairs alongside AGWA Six Seasons, Screen Space and the contemporary craft and design in AGWA Design.

The reopening of AGWA Historical offers an exciting opportunity to revisit the Gallery’s permanent collection and experience the works in a new and refreshing way.

“There is a lot of architecture in the Centenary Galleries which impacted on the display,” said Melissa Harpley, Curator of Historical and Modern Art.

Yes

Moving the historical works into the main gallery space has taken that visual interference out so that you can see the works differently. As a curator, it enabled me to make some interesting groupings and provided more flexibility in the placement of works than was possible in the Centenary Galleries.

Melissa Harpley

AGWA Curator of Historical and Modern Art

Unlike the Centenary Galleries, which is mostly comprised of long-established square rooms, the central gallery space is designed in a triangular shape, which enhances the viewing of the collection.

“What is so fantastic about this building is the fact that it doesn’t have right angles,” she said.

“It allows those visual connections which are important for art. You can stand in some spaces of the gallery and see a 1860s landscape, but you might also see a Heidelberg landscape and a Hans Heysen from 1914. You couldn’t do that in the Centenary Galleries.”

The AGWA Historical will undergo two separate iterations. The first hang coincided with another important historical exhibition, Sidney Nolan’s Ned Kelly series which opened the same day.

There’s one point where Ned Kelly and Historical share a wall, and we’ve managed to design the show, so the Ned Kelly work sits next to the Hans Heysen. I think there’s a nice connection between not only the approach to the Australian landscape but even down to the two men on horses echoed in both paintings.

Melissa Harpley

AGWA Curator of Historical and Modern Art

Hans Heysen Droving into the light 1914-1921. State Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia. Gift of Mr W H Vincent, 1922.

Sidney Nolan Ned Kelly 1946 from the Ned Kelly series 1946 – 1947. Gift of Sunday Reed 1977. National Gallery of Australia.

The second iteration of AGWA Historical is scheduled for November and Melissa said she is excited about the upcoming curatorial possibilities and encourages the public to attend both reprises of the collection.

“Looking at the works in the historical collection, particularly the ones with figures, humans haven’t changed. The works from the past are still very much a meditation or commentary on what it means to be human and what it means to be in the world,” says Melissa.

“I think people will connect with that because it’s as relevant now as it was then.”

Glimpse into the collection

Find out more about the AGWA Historical Collection visit our website artgallery.wa.gov.au

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Join a free guided tour of AGWA Historical or one of our other fantastic collections.

AGWA Collection

AGWA Historical

Melissa Harpley

Sidney Nolan

Ned Kelly series

NGA

Australian

AGWA

Card Text

August 11th marked an important day in AGWA history, as the Gallery celebrated the reopening of its Historical Collection; part of the permanent AGWA Collection displays which spans across many time periods in Australian and international art.

Launch of AGWA’s Historical Collection

A lecture about a rebel or two

tanya.sticca@artgallery.wa.gov.au — Thu, 09 Jul 2020 03:16:58 +0000

A lecture about a rebel or two

tanya.sticca@a… Thu 09/07/2020 - 11:16am

29 August 2018

I would not shoot them as I could not blame them, they had to do their duty I said I did not blame them for doing honest duty but I could not suffer them blowing me to pieces in my own native land…But I am a Widow’s Son, outlawed and my orders must be obeyed.

Ned Kelly

1879

We all know the story of Ned Kelly; the young Irish larrikin who became an outlaw and was the target of one of the most legendary police chases in Australian history, before finally being captured, tried and hung on a number of charges, including the murder of three policemen.

The Kelly myth has been retold and reinterpreted by many artists and writers, but none as enduring and iconic as Sidney Nolan’s masterful series, which chronicles the life and death of the bushranger with both emotion and eccentricity.

On loan from the National Gallery of Australia, 26 of the 27 paintings are currently on display for a limited time until 12 November at AGWA.

Yes

Sidney Nolan The trial 1947 from the Ned Kelly series 1946 – 1947. Enamel paint on composition board, 90.70 x 121.20 cm. Gift of Sunday Reed 1977. National Gallery of Australia.

Off

NGA’s Head of Australian Art, Deborah Hart, recently delivered an insightful lecture on the series and Ned Kelly to a sellout crowd.

With humour and insightful anecdotes, Hart’s presentation into Nolan’s life and the facts of the Kelly story provided the audience with a fresh look at the series particularly those who had viewed this exhibition previously in Canberra.

Beginning her talk with the iconic image of Nolan’s Ned Kelly riding horseback through the Australian landscape, the lecture discussed Nolan’s time as a young man serving in World War Two and how this event influenced his decision to explore the meaning behind Australian identity.

“I think she gave such a good framework to understanding the series and pointing out the idiosyncrasies Nolan used and re-interpreted versus the factual basis of the story,” said AGWA Voluntary Guru Guide Rosemary Miller.

What I particularly enjoyed about the lecture was the connections Hart made between the two men. She stated,

There’s actually a very strange connection between Nolan and Ned Kelly because for a short time Nolan had been on the run like Kelly. Kelly had also come from a long line of impoverished Irish settlers and I think Nolan could relate to that sense of injustice.

Rosemary Miller

AGWA Voluntary Guru Guide

Hart also placed emphasis on viewing Nolan’s series as a masterfully completed work of art.

Sue Sauer, AGWA Member and Voluntary Guru Guide said, “We were encouraged to look at both Ned Kelly and the landscape which is an important part of the story.”

Hart’s lecture sparked fierce debate and conversation amongst those who attended. While Hart provided the public with detailed knowledge on the background of Nolan’s series and its relation to the history of the Kelly myth, she instilled in her audience the importance of this series to Australian culture.

These lectures are organised by the Gallery’s AGWA Members program and once a month for three months, we host a lecture series to celebrate the Rebels, Radical and Pathfinders season. Attend individual lectures or buy a Members season pass for $15 to attend the remaining two. If you have already purchased a ticket to one of the lectures, contact the AGWA Members Office at any point during the season to have that event ticket credited towards a season pass purchase.

Learn more about AGWA Membership and other upcoming events by visiting AGWA Members.

AGWA

Card Text

We all know the story of Ned Kelly; the young Irish larrikin who became an outlaw and was the target of one of the most legendary police chases in Australian history.

NGA

Re-Imagining History

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A lecture about a rebel or two

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